Ripley Did IQs just drop sharply while I was away?
Played by Sigourney Weaver 
Aliens (1986) · 80 quotes
Aliens (1986) · 80 quotes
Most-quoted character in Aliens (1986): in 34 of its 80 quotes
Most scenes with: Hudson (12), Hicks (12), Burke (11)
I say we take off, and nuke the entire site from orbit. It's the only way to be sure.
More lines from Ripley
6 quotes Ripley Ripley Now please leave. I am not going back, and... I would not be any good to you if I did.
Ripley Get away from her, you BITCH!
Ripley How long after we're declared overdue can we expect a rescue?
... 17 days.
17 days? Hey, I don't mean to rain on your parade but we're not gonna last seventeen hours! Those things are gonna come in here just like they did before! And they're-- they're gonna come in here--
Ripley Hudson.
--and they're gonna come in here and-- AND THEY'RE GONNA KILL US!!!
Ripley HUDSON! This little girl survived longer than us with no weapons and no training. Right?
Why don't you put her in charge?
Ripley You'd better just start dealing with it, Hudson! Listen to me! Hudson! Just deal with it because we need you and I'm sick of your bullshit.
[After Burke tried to lock Ripley and Newt inside the Med Lab to be impregnated by the facehuggers] [Points his rifle at Burke's head]
I say we grease this rat-**** son of a bitch right now!
This just doesn't make any god damn sense.
Ripley He figured he could get an alien back through quarantine, if one of us was... impregnated... whatever you call it. Then frozen for the trip home. Nobody would know about the embryos we were carrying. Me and Newt.
Wait a minute, now- we'd all know.
Ripley Yes, the only way he could do it was if he sabotaged certain freezers on the way home - namely yours. Then he could jettison the bodies and make up any story he wanted.
****! [points muzzle of pulse-rifle at Burke] He's dead. You're dog meat, pal!
[Trying to play innocent]
This is so nuts. I mean, listen... listen to what you're saying; it's paranoid delusion. It's really sad... it's pathetic.
Ripley You know Burke, I don't know which species is worse. You don't see them **** each other over for a god damn percentage.
All right-- we waste him! [grabs Burke] No offense!
Ripley No, he's got to go back--
Ripley [the lights go out]
... They cut the power.
What do you mean 'they' cut the power!? How could they cut the power, they're animals!
I want you two in trackers, checking the corridors! Move out!
Ripley Close your eyes, baby!
Scenes with Ripley
27 scenes[points muzzle of pulse-rifle to Burke's face]
I say we grease this rat-**** son of a bitch right now!
You secure that shit Hudson!
Van Leuwin
Thank you, Officer Ripley. That will be all--
Ripley God damn it, that's not all! Because if one of those things gets down here then that WILL be all! And all this, this bullshit that you think is so important, you can just kiss all that goodbye!
Ripley Just tell me one thing, Burke. You're going out there to destroy them. Not to study. Not to bring back. But to wipe them out.
That's the plan. You have my word.
Ripley Alright, I'm in.
Ripley I feel like kind of a fifth wheel around here. Is there anything I can do?
I dunno, is there anything you CAN do?
Ripley You never said anything about an android being on board. Why not?
[looks bewildered]
It never... never occurred to me. It's just common practice, we always have a synthetic on board.
I prefer the term 'Artificial Person' myself.
Ripley How many drops is this for you, Lieutenant?
38. ...Simulated.
How many combat drops?
Uh... 2, including this one.
Ah, shit.
Ripley Lieutenant, what do those pulse-rifles fire?
10 millimeter explosive tip caseless. Standard light armor piercing rounds, why?
Ripley Well, look where your team is. They're right under the primary heat exchangers.
... So?
Ripley So... if they fire their weapons in there, won't they rupture the cooling system?
Whoa ho ho... yeah, she's absolutely right.
Look, this whole station is basically a big fusion reactor, right? So she's talking about a thermonuclear explosion and adiós muchachos.
Oh, great. Wonderful. SHIT! Look... Ah... Apone. Look, we can't have any firing in there. I, uh... I want you to collect magazines from everybody.
Is he **** crazy!?
What the hell are we supposed to use, man? Harsh language?
All right, we got seven canisters of CN-20. I say we roll them in there and nerve gas the whole **** nest.
That's worth a try, but we don't know if it's gonna affect them.
Let's just butt out and call it even, man! What are we even talking about this for?
Ripley I say we take off and nuke the entire site from orbit. It's the only way to be sure.
****in' A!
Hold on a second. This installation has a substantial dollar value attached to it.
Ripley They can bill me.
Okay. This is an emotional moment for all of us, I know that. But let's not make snap judgments, please. This is clearly an important species we're dealing with and I don't think you or I or anybody has the right to arbitrarily exterminate them.
Ripley Wrong!
Yeah, watch us.
Maybe you haven't been keeping up on current events, but we just got our asses kicked, pal!
Look, I'm not blind to what's going on, but I cannot authorize that kind of action. I'm sorry.
Ripley Well, I believe Corporal Hicks has authority here.
Corporal Hicks?
Ripley This operation is under military jurisdiction, and Hicks is next in chain of command. Am I right, Corporal?
Yeah... yeah, that's right.
Yeah... look, Ripley, this is a multi-million dollar installation! He can't make that kind of decision, he's just a grunt! Ah, no offense.
None taken. Ferro, do you copy?
Ferro Standing by.
Prep for dust off. We're going to need immediate evac.
Ferro Roger. We're on our way.
Alright. We take off, nuke the site from orbit.
Ripley I dunno how you managed to stay alive, but you're one brave kid, Rebecca.
Ripley What?
My name's Newt. Nobody calls me Rebecca, except my brother.
Ripley These people are here to protect you. They're soldiers.
It won't make any difference.
[after the drop-ship crashes and explodes]
That's great. That's just **** great, man. Now what the **** are we supposed to do? We're in some real pretty shit now, man!
Are you finished?
I guess we're not going to be leaving right now then?
Ripley I'm sorry, Newt.
It wasn't your fault.
That's it! Game over, man! Game's over! What the **** are we gonna do now? What are we gonna do?
Maybe we could build a fire and sing couple of songs, huh?! Why don't we try that?!
We'd better get back because it'll be dark soon, and they mostly come at night. Mostly.
My mommy always said there were no monsters, no real ones. But there are.
Ripley Yes. Yes, there are.
Why do they tell kids that?
Ripley Because most of the time it's true.
[Ripley has just discovered that Burke intends to deliver 2 alien specimens back to Earth]
Look, those two specimens are worth millions to the bio-weapons division, right? Now, if you're smart, we can both come out of this heroes, and we will be set up for life.
Ripley ... You're crazy, Burke- do you know that? You really think you can get a dangerous organism like that past ICC quarantine?
How can they impound it if they don't know about it?
Ripley But they will know about it. From me. Just like they'll know you were responsible for the deaths of 157 colonists.
Wait a second.
Ripley You sent them to that ship!
You're wrong!
Ripley I just checked the colony log! Directive dated 6-12-79, signed Burke, Carter J! You sent them out there and you didn't even warn them! Why didn't you warn them!?
Okay, look- what if that ship didn't even exist? Did you ever think about that? I didn't know! So now, if I went and made a major security situation out of it, everybody steps in. Administration steps in, and there's no exclusive rights for anybody, nobody wins! So I made a decision and it was wrong. It was a bad call, Ripley. It was a bad call.
Ripley Bad call? These people are DEAD, Burke! Don't you have any idea what you've done here? Well, I'm going to make sure they nail you right to the wall for this! You're not going to sleaze your way out of this one! Right to the wall.
Ripley... you know, I expected more from you. I thought you'd be smarter than this.
Ripley I'm happy to disappoint you.
Ripley It's very pretty Bishop, but what are we looking for?
Right there. [indicates blue flashing from a vent at the power station] Emergency venting.
That's beautiful, man. That just beats all.
How long until it blows?
Four hours, with a blast radius of 30 kilometers, equal to about 40 megatons.
We've got problems.
I can't believe this. I CAN'T **** BELIEVE THIS!
Vasquez, close the shutters.
Ripley Why can't we shut it down from here?
I'm sorry, but the crash caused too much damage. An overload was inevitable at this point.
Aw, man. And I was getting short. Four more weeks and out. Now I'm going to buy it on this rock! It ain't half-fair, man!
Hudson, give us a break!
Four more weeks! Aw, man!
Ripley Well, we need the other drop-ship from the Sulaco. I mean, there must be some way of bringing it down via remote.
How? The transmitter was on the APC! It's wasted!
Ripley Well, I don't care how, but we'd better think of something, we'd better think of a way now.
Think of what? We're ****!
Shut up! [Over Hudson's panicking] SHUT UP! What about the colony transmitters? The uplink tower at the other end? Why can't we use--
No, the hard-wiring between here and there was damaged. We can't align the dish.
Ripley Well, then somebody has got to go out there, take a portable terminal, and patch in manually.
Oh, sure! With those things runnin' around? You can count me out!
I'll go.
Yeah, I guess we can just count you out of everything, Hudson.
That's right, man. Hey, why don't you go, man?
I'll go.
Ripley What?
I'll go. I'm the only one qualified to remote-pilot the ship anyway.
Yeah, man. Bishop should go. Good idea!
Believe me, I'd prefer not to. I may be synthetic, but I'm not stupid.
Movement. Signal's clean. Range twenty meters.
Ripley They found a way in, something we missed.
We didn't miss anything.
17 meters.
Ripley Something under the floor, not in the plans.
15 meters.
Ripley.
Definitely inside the barricades.
13 meters.
Ripley That's right outside the door! Hicks, Vasquez, get back!
Man, this is a big **** signal!
How are you doing, Vasquez? Talk to me!
That's it! Keep it up!
12 meters. 11, 10...
They're right on top of us!
9 meters.
Remember: short, controlled bursts.
8 meters. 7, 6...
Ripley They can't be. That's inside the room.
It's reading right, man! Look!
Well then you're not reading it right!
5 meters, man! What the hell?! [Looks up along with the rest as they realize they're in the ceiling] ... Oh shit... oh ****...
Ripley...
Ripley I don't want to hear about it, Bishop. She's alive. There's still time.
In nineteen minutes this area is going to be a cloud of vapor the size of Nebraska.
Ripley Hicks, don't let him leave.
We ain't going anywhere.
Can I dream?
Ripley Yes, honey. I think we both can. Sleep tight.
Affirmative.
Ripley I don't understand this. We have been here for three and a half hours. How many different ways you want me to tell you the same story?
Van Leuwen Look at it from our perspective, please. [points at an empty chair] Please. [Ripley sits down] Now, you freely admit detonating the engines of, and thereby destroying an M-class star freighter, a rather expensive piece of hardware.
Insurance attorney
Forty-two million in adjusted dollars. That's minus payload, of course.
Van Leuwen The lifeboat's flight recorder corroborates some parts of your account. In that for reasons unknown, the Nostromo set down on LV-426, an unsurveyed planet at that time. That it resumed its course and was subsequently set for self-destruct, by you, for reasons unknown.
Ripley Not for reasons unknown. I told you. We set down there on company's orders, to get this thing, which destroyed my crew. And your expensive ship.
Van Leuwen The analysis team, which went over the lifeboat centimeter by centimeter, found no physical evidence of the creature you describe.
Ripley [stands up]
Good! That's because I blew it out of the goddamn airlock! Like I said.
Insurance attorney
Are there any species like this hostile organism on LV-426?
ECA representative No, it's a rock. No indigenous life.
Ripley [sarcastically]
Did IQs just drop sharply when I was away? Ma'am, I already said it was not indigenous, it was a derelict spacecraft, it was an alien ship, it was not from there. You get it? We homed in on its beacon.
ECA representative And found something never recorded once in any of the three hundred surveyed worlds [reads the report] "A creature that gestates inside living human host", these are your words, "and has concentrated acid for blood".
Ripley That's right [beat] Look... I can see where this is going, but I'm telling you those things exist.
Van Leuwen Thank you, officer, that will be all.
Ripley Please! You're not listening to me. Kane, the crew member... Kane, who went into that ship, said he saw thousands of eggs there. Thousands.
Van Leuwen Thank you, that will be all.
Ripley Goddammit, that's not all! Because if one of those things gets down here, then that will be all, and all this [picks up documents] this bullshit that you think is so important [throws the documents on tabletop] you can just kiss all that goodbye!
Van Leuwen [long moment of silence; members of the hearing watch Ripley with disapproval]
It is the finding of this court of inquiry that Warrant Officer E. Ripley, NOC 14472, has acted with questionable judgement, and is unfit to hold an ICC license as a commercial flight officer. Said license is hereby suspended indefinitely. Now, no criminal charges will be filed against you at this time, and you are released on your own recognizance for a six-month period of psychometric probation, to include monthly review by an ICC psychiatric technician. These proceedings are closed.
Ripley Van Leuwen? Why don't you just check out LV-426?
Van Leuwen Because I don't have to. There have been people there for over twenty years and they never complained about any hostile organisms.
Ripley [alarmed]
What do you mean? What people?
Van Leuwen Terraformers. Planetary engineers. They go down there and set up these big atmosphere processors to make the air breathable. It takes decades. That's what we call 'shake'n'bake colony' [he tries to leave, but Ripley blocks his way with her arm]
Ripley How many are there? How many colonists?
Van Leuwen I don't know. Sixty, maybe seventy families [looks pointedly at Ripley's arm] Do you mind?
Ripley [lets him go and speaks to herself]
Families. Jesus.
Ripley I don't believe this. You guys throw me to the wolves, and now you want me to go back out there? Forget it. It's not my problem.
Can I finish?
Ripley No. There's no way.
Ripley, you wouldn't be going in with the troops. I can guarantee your safety.
These Colonial Marines are very tough hombres. They're packing state-of-the-art firepower. There's nothing they can't handle. Lieutenant, am I right?
That's true. We've been trained to deal with situations like this.
Ripley [scoffs]
You don't need me. I'm not a soldier.
Yeah, but we don't know exactly what's going on out there. It may just a downed transmitter, okay? But if it's not... I'd like you to go there as an adviser. And that's all.
Ripley What's your interest in all this? Why are you going?
Corporation co-financed that colony along with Colonial Administration. We're going into a lot of terraforming, building better worlds-
Ripley Yeah, yeah, I saw the commercial. Look, I don't have time for this. I've gotta get to work.
Oh, yeah. I heard you're working at the cargo docks.
Ripley That's right.
Running loaders and forklifts.
Ripley Yeah. So?
Nothing. I think it's great that you're keeping busy. And I know it's the only thing you could get. There’s nothing wrong with it. [pause] What would you say if I told you I could get you reinstated as a flight officer? The company has already agreed to pick up your contract.
Ripley If I go.
Yeah, if you go. Come on, that's a second chance, kiddo. I personally think for you the best thing in the world would be to get out there and face this thing, get back on the horse-
Ripley Spare me, Burke. I've already had my psych evaluation this month.
Yeah, I know, I've read it. You wake up every night, your sheets are soaking with sweat-
Ripley [angrily]
I said no, and I mean it! [in normal voice again] Now, please leave. I'm not going back. And I... I wouldn't be any good to you if I did.
Okay, shhh. Just do one thing for me, okay? Think this over [leaves calling card]
Ripley [when Bishop "bleeds" the white fluid, revealing he is an android] [to Burke, agitated]
You never said anything about android being aboard, why not?
It never... never occurred to me. It's just a common practice, we always have a synthetic on board.
I prefer the term "artificial person" myself. Is there a problem?
I'm sorry. I don't know why I didn't... [to Bishop] On Ripley's last trip the synth- the artificial person malfunctioned.
Ripley "Malfunctioned"?!
We had some problems and, uh... few deaths were involved.
I'm shocked. Was it an older model?
Yeah. Hyperdyne Systems 120-A/2.
Well, that explains it. I mean, the A/2s always were a bit twitchy. That could never happen now with our behaviour inhibitors. It is impossible for me to harm, or by omission of action, allowed to be harmed, a human being. [hands the tray with corn bread to Ripley] Are you sure you don't want some?
Ripley [angrily knocks the tray out of Bishop's hand]
Just stay away from me, Bishop. You got that straight?
Ripley How many drops for you is this, lieutenant?
Thirty-eight. Simulated.
How many combat drops?
Uh, two. Including this one.
Shit.
Oh-ho, man...
Ripley I don't know how you managed to stay alive. But you're one brave kid, Rebecca.
Newt.
Ripley What'd you say?
Newt. My name is Newt. Nobody calls me Rebecca except my brother.
Ripley Newt? I like that. I'm Ripley. It's nice to meet you. And who is this?
Casey.
Ripley Hello, Casey. What about your brother? What's his name?
Timmy.
Ripley Is Timmy around here too? Maybe hiding like you were? [Newt doesn't answer] Any sisters? [Newt shakes her head] Mom and Dad? [Newt nods] Newt. Look at me. Where are they?
They're dead, all right? Can I go now?
Ripley I'm sorry, Newt. Don't you think you'd be safer here with us? [Newt shakes her head] These people are here to protect you. They're soldiers.
It won't make any difference.
[the surviving Marines take refuge in the colony after the dropship's crash, gathering all equipment they got left]
That's absolutely everything we can salvage from the APC wreckage. We've got four pulse rifles, with about fifty rounds each. That ain't so good. We got, uh, fifteen of these M-40 grenades. [Newt reaches for a grenade] Don't touch that. Dangerous, honey.
Ripley Is that the only flamethrower?
Yeah. It's only half-full, but it's functional. Got another one, it's damaged, so I don't know about that one. But the good news... We've got four of these robot sentries, with display and scanners intact. They really kick ass. They'll come in handy.
Ripley How long after we're declared overdue we can expect a rescue?
Seventeen days? Hey man, I don't wanna rain on your parade, but we're not gonna last seventeen hours! These things are going to come here like they did before and they're gonna... [starts rambling unintelligibly]
Ripley Hudson! HUDSON! [Hudson stops talking] This little girl survived longer than that with no weapons and no training [to Newt] Right?
Ripley You better start dealing with it, OK!? Listen to me! Hudson, just deal with it, because we need you, and I'm sick of your bullshit. I want you to get into the terminal and get me some kind of floor plan of this building. Construction blueprints, I don't care, anything that shows us a layout of this place. You listening?
Ripley I need to see air ducts, I need to see electrical access tunnels, sub-basements, every possible way into this complex [beat] We don't have much time.
Yeah. Yeah, I'm on it.
Ripley Hudson! Just relax.
[Hudson exhales loudly and leaves]
I'm gonna be in the med-lab. Check on Gorman, continue my analysis.
Ripley All right. You do that.
Ripley [Ripley is putting Newt to bed in the med bay]
Last stop. Get in. [Newt lies down on the bed] Scoot down. That's good. Now, you lie here and have a nap. You're very tired.
I don't want to. I have scary dreams.
Ripley Well, I bet Casey doesn't have scary dreams. Let's take a look. [holds up Casey] Nope. Nothing bad in there. See? Maybe you could try to be just like her, hmm?
Ripley, she doesn't have bad dreams because she's just a piece of plastic.
Ripley [smiles]
Right. I'm sorry, Newt. [turns on heater] There.
My mommy always said there were no monsters, no real ones, but there are.
Ripley Yes, there are, aren't there?
Why do they tell little kids that?
Ripley Most of the time it's true.
Did one of those things grow inside her?
Ripley I don't know, Newt. That's the truth.
Isn't that how babies come? I mean, people babies? They grow inside you.
Ripley [smiles]
Oh, that's very different.
Did you ever have a baby?
Ripley Yes, I did. I had a little girl.
Where is she?
Ripley She's gone.
You mean dead.
Ripley Here. Take this. [gives Newt her wristwatch] For luck. There's that. [switches off the light]
Ripley Newt, I'm gonna be right in the next room. And you see that camera right up there? [points to security camera] I can see you right through that camera, all the time to see if you're safe. I'm not gonna leave you, Newt. I mean that. That's a promise.
You promise?
Ripley I cross my heart.
And hope to die?
Ripley And hope to die. [Newt hugs her, Ripley kisses her on the cheek] Now, go to sleep, and don't dream.
Ripley [when Ripley is about to assault the alien hive in order to save Newt, leaving heavily wounded Hicks in the dropship]
See you soon, Hicks.
Dwayne [chuckles] It's Dwayne.
Ripley Ellen.
Don't be gone for long, Ellen.
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Ellen Ripley
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